President Trump is starting to sweat through his ill-fitting suit. A man who has gone his entire life freely ripping people off, flaunting the law, and abusing the powerless is finally facing the possibility that there could be serious consequences to his actions.

This week’s bombshell revelation that his longterm fixer and attorney Michael Cohen has struck a plea deal and implicated the president himself in campaign finance violations stemming from hush money payments paid to cover up Trump’s extramarital indiscretions bodes ill for our conman leader.

At the same time, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has been found guilty on eight felony charges, a development that would be stunning if the country weren’t already inured to the rank corruption that infects everyone Trump surrounds himself with.

In a new interview with Fox News Trump touched on the Manafort and Cohen convictions, and ended up sounding like a mob boss rather than the leader of the free world. During the jaw-dropping segment, Trump said that Cohen “used him” to get a better deal and that Manafort did not.

“One of the reasons I respect Paul Manafort so much is he went through that trial… You know they make up stories, people make up stories?” Trump said, having no problem voicing his “respect” for a convicted felon.

It only went downhill from there. Trump went on to attack the idea that law enforcement should be able to use criminals lower on the ladder to take down higher up, more powerful criminals. It’s the manner in which the FBI took down the mafia and prosecutes similar criminal organizations. That is to say, it’s the perfect way to go after Trump.

“This whole thing about ‘flipping’ they call it. I know all about ‘flipping.’ For thirty, forty years I’ve been watching ‘flippers.’ Everything’s wonderful and then they get ten years in jail and they ‘flip’ on whoever the next highest one is or as high as they can go. It almost ought to be outlawed. It’s not fair,” Trump said.

Trump then went on to provide a nonsensical, self-serving reason for why it should be outlawed, but his real rationale is obvious. He thinks flipping should be illegal because he thinks it might be used against him. This man has no respect for the rule of law and will break it and undermine it if it serves his interests.